You think palmetto bugs are big? New 'hissing' cockroach may head to South Florida

Mark Pino | Orlando Sentinel
10:46 AM EST, November 9, 2008

http://i37.tinypic.com/1620krn.jpg
A hissing cockroach from Madagascar is shown in this handout photo taken on Nov. 3, 2005. (Bloomberg News / November 3, 2005)

If you think palmetto bugs are big, wait until you come face to face with a Madagascar hissing cockroach. It can stretch up to 5 inches and, when threatened, exhales air and sounds like a snake.

University of Florida researchers are alerting pest-control operators and homeowners to be on the lookout for several new species of Florida's least-favorite character, the cockroach.

Along with the "hissers," the newest trespassers could include the Turkestan cockroach, lobster roach and the orange spotted roach. All could inadvertently be introduced to the state, UF entomologist Phil Koehler warned. And once here, they would thrive.

Lizard owners may be aiding the import of the new varieties, according to a pair of UF scientists at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Roaches make a good replacement for crickets -- which are noisier, smellier and more expensive -- as reptile food. Florida has banned the sale of new roach varieties for about 20 years, but the Web makes them easy to buy.

And where you have roaches, there are bound to be escapees. After all, they haven't survived 300 million years for nothing. Of the 69 species of cockroaches in the U.S., 29 were brought in from other countries.

"This is not good news for anybody," said Koehler, who recently co-authored a magazine article for pest-control operators, warning them to watch for the potential invaders. Koehler said he found a Web site listing Madagascar hissing roaches at 50 for $89.99.

Though none of the new species has yet been spotted in the state, Koehler recalls how the Asian cockroach quickly established itself in 1985 in Lakeland. At the time, Koehler speculated that it came through a commercial port or was brought in packing material by an overseas traveler.